My big mistake

A few days ago, I was with a customer. She was looking at my handbags. The question came up, "Which one is the most popular?"

Well, since I have sold two of the red ones, I immediately responded, "The red one."

BIG MISTAKE!

I don't have any red ones left. So, I spent the next 10 minutes trying to describe what the red ones looked like. And, of course, she wanted a red one just like the ones I already sold.

Now, the problem is, I can't recreate my work. These bags are one-of-a-kind pieces that I can't duplicate. So, I couldn't even offer to create one for her, because I couldn't guarantee that it would look just like the ones that were already sold.

The customer really liked my handbags. She kept looking at all of them as though she were trying to decide which one she wanted. However, she kept trying to compare them to the one I didn't have.

It was almost as if those red bags were a barrier between the customer and the bags that were still available for sale. And, I knew, even as those words were coming out of my mouth, that it was the wrong thing to say.

As I learned, talking about something that is not available is a sure way to create desire. And, I lost a sale.

Now, fast forward to yesterday. The same question came up. This time my answer was, "The blue one, but the gold one is my personal favorite."

And, guess what? She bought the gold one!